HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra weighing gubernatorial bid

U.S. Health Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is considering a run for California governor, according to a report by Politico.

If he runs, Becerra would join a crowded list of Democratic heavyweights vying for the governor’s mansion, a list that includes former Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Superintendent Thurmond and former Controller Betty Yee.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta also is rumored to be mulling a run.

Prior to joining President Joe Biden’s cabinet, Becerra served as California attorney general, and made a name for himself by filing a stack of lawsuits against thenPresident Donald Trump, a record he likely would lean on if he ran.

But Becerra’s record doesn’t just include taking on the Trump Administration — it also includes threatening journalists and siding with law enforcement in keeping police misconduct records away from the public, as noted in a Gil Duran column in The Bee in 2020, shortly after Biden announced his intent to nominate Becerra.

When journalists with the Investigative Reporting Project at UC Berkeley acquired the names of police officers accused or convicted of crimes, Becerra warned them to destroy the data or face potential prosecution. They published anyway and Becerra ultimately backed down, but it could augur poorly for how a Gov. Becerra would treat the press if he’s elected in 2026.

HECTOR AMEZCUA hamezcua@sacbee.com U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a graduate of McClatchy High School in Sacramento, talks with students at Rio Americano High during a visit to the Sacramento region to highlight his department’s efforts to expand the health care workforce.